This just in: When golf carts are driven on grass, it results in damage. Furthermore, this damage is much worse when the turf is dormant or slowly growing, and when turf is under stress from drought, frost, shade or other factors. More carts mean more damage.
Humor me for a second and put yourself in the grass’ shoes. You are laying there well fed and hydrated, and then 100 golf carts drive over you. That’s going to leave a mark! If you’re laying there dehydrated in the summer sun or out in the freezing cold, those 100 carts are going to feel even worse. This gives us an idea of the stress that golf course turf routinely endures from cart traffic.
If you are skeptical about the impacts of golf cart damage on turf, have a look at the Green Section Record article “The Effects of Traffic on Turf During Frost and Freezing Conditions.” One notable passage from this article is: “As little as one pass of cart traffic during a frost event produced noticeable damage on a creeping bentgrass fairway.” This indicates the damage that can occur from just one cart driving over frost-covered turf. The study also found that repeated traffic without frost produced turf injury.
In a study that evaluated how putting green and fairway turf was affected by traffic, all turf varieties experienced thinning from a combination of wear and compaction with only four passes per week, not 100 passes per day. If 100 carts go out, not all drive on every piece of turf, but the majority will drive in the same place leaving and reentering the path on each hole. Furthermore, many carts drive in close proximity to fairway bunkers and where signs direct carts to leave the turf. These areas experience the greatest damage. Some of the ways golf cart traffic causes damage include:
Increased soil bulk density (compaction) on soil containing fine sand, silt and clay: All of these soils are vulnerable to compaction with repeated cart traffic. This is especially problematic when the soil is wet.
Reduced saturated hydraulic conductivity: The ability of water to move down through the soil profile is diminished with routine golf cart traffic.
Reduced turf density and population (turf thinning): Studies show that the abrasion from golf cart tires creates damage to turf that shows up in the form of discoloration and turf thinning.
If you need further convincing, one research study evaluated the impacts of golf cart traffic on turfgrass during and after drought. After different turf varieties endured drought and golf cart traffic, they were watered and allowed to recover. The warm-season grasses recovered in about 12 days to 75% green cover – not too bad. But under drought stress with no traffic, green cover in the warm-season varieties never even dipped below 75%! Damage was considerable to the cool-season grasses and traffic only increased the damage.
Suggestions for Golf Courses:
To help reduce turfgrass damage from cart traffic, there are some things golf course managers can do. Golf carts should be restricted to paths when the turf is under stress from heat, drought, saturated soils or other poor growing conditions. Cart restrictions should be implemented season-long in strategic areas and frequently rotated to spread out traffic. More carts mean more damage, so setting a limit of two carts per foursome will decrease the damage. Other ideas include restricting carts to paths on par-3 holes and also restricting carts to paths on one par-4 or par-5 hole per nine every day.
While using stakes, ropes and signage is labor intensive, they are necessary to direct carts away from stressed turf to allow for recovery. Communicating with golfers to explain the importance of adhering to cart path rules is essential, and for the golfers reading this update, take it upon yourself to follow the rules and set a good example. Implore your fellow golfers to do the same, and make sure to park your cart with all four tires on the path. Finally, when golfers ask why is it cart path only or what's with all the cart rules, it’s important for them to know that the reason is to provide the best golfing experience possible!
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, regional director, West Region – bwhitlark@usga.org
Ross Niewola, agronomist - rniewola@usga.org